We are getting to grip with our surroundings now. Had an excellent Thai meal last evening down in Basil (no Fawlty happenings) with a tablet to order and very efficient, followed by an ice cream in Svensons next door.
After another fine breakfast and excellent view we caught the shuttle then the hoho boat to Wat Arun transferring to the ferry taking is across the river to Wat Pho and the reclining Buddha. It was all much calmer today and peaceful in most parts of the temples. The reclining Buddha is truly enormous and serene at the same time.
We returned to the hotel for some impromptu lunch as we must pack and fly on to Perth this evening.Read more

It’s orthodox Christmas tomorrow, Jimmy’s birthday too! We made it to the cathedral in time for the sermon which was all about embracing the joys of the season and promoting universal peace.
From there we were a little perplexed at the pier as there were no obvious signs. However we boarded a busy commuter boat and headed up river eventually reaching the grand Palace.
It was very busy particularly with the emerald Buddha and the Chinese tours very pushy. The buildings though are amazing especially the wall painting and ornate construction. We hopped on the tourist boat coming back which was much less manic. The river is very choppy in places it is surprising there are no collisions.Read more

Cool day today. I finally made it to the Grand Palace. It’s breathtaking. It’s about an hour walk from my hostel and I was going to just take a tuk tuk but it was a nice day, so I decided to walk it, plus I’m hoping to lose some weight in Asia, I think with the combination of healthier food, sweating and lots of walking should help.

Ran into the standard scam as I approached the palace, locals telling you it’s closed or a higher price, instead of going there they will take you elsewhere, normally a jewellery shop or a tailors as they get a kick back.

Anyway, I arrive at the palace. It’s huge. Proper awe inspiring.

I pay the entrance fee of about 100baht I think it was, and made my way in. You walk in through quite narrow gates considering the size of the place, but as soon as you walk in it opens up massively, and there it is. The Main Palace building right in front of you. But there’s also 76352516 Chinese and Korean tourists who are just the worst hahahha. They will block an entire path for their photos, highly annoying.

I can’t really describe the palace, I don’t think I have the vocabulary for it. I was there for hours and I could spend hours longer. You need to come see it. It’ll give you goosebumps.

I also went to visit the giant leaning Buddha, which was quite cool, I didn’t think it was as big as it was but it’s massive and I spent about 30 minutes there.

After visiting the palace and the Buddha, I was thirsty and hungry. Just off the palace is a local market which has been there for hundreds of years, so i had a walk through there and came across a lovely little restaurant sitting on the banks of the chao phraya river right opposite wat Arun (not visited yet but it looks awesome)

I sat by the riverside, watching the sun set, fresh Thai food and a ice cold beer or two for hours. Perfect way to end the day.Read more